Apparently, it is doughnut week in the UK from 7th to 15th May and on a recent Celebrity Bake Off, they had to make some, so I thought I would too! I tried to find the easiest recipe for my readers but they are all quite involved. Still, whether you fill your doughnuts with jam, pour icing on the top or just cover them in sugar, they are certainly worth the effort. I like the Spanish doughnuts (Churros) and dipping them in chocolate is my favourite treat. I couldn’t make doughnuts for my diabetic husband so I have added some pancake ideas for those people who can’t have sugar! He loves the apple pancakes which I do without any sugar and use artificial sweetener instead. Well you don’t have to wait until next Pancake Day, do you?
Buen Appetito
Doughnuts
- 3 (7g) packages yeast (2lg in total)
- 120ml water (105-115F / 40-46C)
- 530ml milk, scalded, then cooled
- 170g sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 110ml olive oil
- 940g all-purpose flour
- Vegetable Oil for frying
Glaze
- 115g soft butter
- 375g powdered sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 90-135ml evaporated milk (can substitute regular milk or water for milder flavour)
Make the dough: Coat a large bowl with oil and set aside. Gently warm 1/2 cup milk and oil in a small saucepan. Combine the water and yeast in a large bowl, stir to dissolve, and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the warm milk and oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the remaining sugar, eggs and salt, stir to combine. Add the flour gradually. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place it in the prepared bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume — about 2 hours. Punch dough down, re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 or up to 12 hours. Turn the dough out on to a generously floured work surface. Lightly flour the dough and roll it out to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut doughnuts out of the dough using a 3-inch doughnut cutter and transfer them to a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Heat about 4 inches of vegetable oil in a large deep pan over medium-high heat. Fry the doughnuts until golden — about 2 minutes per side. Remove doughnuts and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Make the glaze: Cream the butter and combine with the remaining milk, vanilla essence and powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir until smooth. While doughnuts are still hot, dip them in the glaze and transfer to a wire rack until glaze is set and doughnuts are cool. Serve immediately.
Basic Recipe for Pancakes
- 1 egg
- 300ml milk
- 100g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- Cooking oil or butter
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the egg. Whisk or stir well whilst adding the milk a little at a time. Mix until there are no lumps. The mixture can be stored in a fridge for up to six hours. Heat a small amount of oil in a suitable pan, ensuring it covers the entire pan. Pour about a ladle full of batter into the pan and quickly move it around so it spreads evenly. Once one side is cooked toss the pancake and cook the other. To tell if the pancake is cooked look for small bubbles forming on the side. Keep the pancakes warm and repeat until all the batter is used. Serve with lemon juice and sugar, jam, maple syrup, honey, chocolate spread or your favourite topping.
Banana and Toffee Pancakes
- Batter as above
- 250g butter toffees
- 3 tbsp milk
- 6-8 ripe ripe bananas diced (one per person)
Make the batter as above and then leave to stand for half an hour. Put the broken toffee and the milk in a heavy saucepan. Stir constantly over a low heat until the toffee has melted and the sauce is smooth. Fry the pancakes and stack them up and keep warm while you cook the rest. Place slices of banana down the middle of the pancake and pour over generous amounts of toffee sauce. Fold over each side of the pancake into the middle. Stack up or lay them out on a plate and serve with more sauce.
Potato Pancakes
- 2 large raw potatoes
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 cups of water
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt
- 1 cooked potato boiled and mashed
- Vegetable oil as needed
Grate raw potatoes into water to which lemon juice has been added. Place potatoes in a strainer and drain off liquid. Beat raw and cooked potatoes with egg, milk and salt to form a batter. Using the heated oil, cook 3 to 4 pancakes at a time in a large frying pan. Brown both sides and drain on a paper towel.
Apple Pancakes
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup apples
- Cinnamon
- Milk
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the beaten eggs, the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Finely chop the apple and add to the mixture. Gradually add enough milk to make a medium batter. Cook as for ordinary pancakes and serve either as savoury dish or with a main course such as pork chops. Cooked apple or apple sauce can be used in the batter in same way.